Mozambique

Sending items to Mozambique – general advice

Only valid Commercial Invoices are accepted by customs. All goods/non document shipments must have the correct value and currency listed on the invoice. Undervalued shipments may be detained or delayed by customs and incur penalties which will be charged to the receiver.

All dutiable goods are cleared by a third party broker according to local Customs legislation. The processing fee is a percentage of CIF value, approximately 2% with minimum of USD 75.

Shipments valued up to. Values up to USD 50.00 incur no additional customs delays. For shipments valued up to USD$25000, expect additional delays of 1-3 days due to customs processing. Before importing, the receiver should have all documentation required by Customs to avoid penalties or delays.

Temporary imports pay no duties or taxes, but are subject to a refundable deposit or bond valued at a percentage of the duties or taxes they would incur as a permanent import. This is based on the calculated value of the imports, and they are done through a manual request to Customs (PIET). If approved, they are processed electronically and take about 2 weeks. Goods for temporary import must have their brands and serial numbers on the invoice so as to match on their return or re-export. Otherwise they will be subject to payment of duties.

Temporary exports from Mozambique pay no duties or taxes, and they are processed through the Mozambique SEW clearance system. You must include the temporary exports’ brands or serial numbers on the invoice so as to match on their return or re-import. Otherwise they will be subject to payment of duties. When sent for repair and return, temporary exports must have a Guarantee or Warranty Card to prove they are covered by a valid technical guarantee. If temporary exports are under guarantee or warranty, no duties or VAT will apply. If temporary exports are outside their guarantee or warranty period, payment of duties and VAT applies to the repair cost.

When returning goods to origin (RTO), they must be accompanied by a written request to Customs with a letter from the shipper justifying the return due to reasons including:

• Wrong / unknown address
• The receiver has left the country
• Wrong country of destination

Customs may accept the return to origin. Alternatively, the payment of permanent import duties and subsequent permanent export can take place through the SEW clearance system.

Only goods shipments to Maputo Airport (MPM) service area can be sent under Incoterm DTP (Duties and Taxes Paid). For outer cities / stations (BEW, POL, TET), limited DTP capability is available, based on value and prior arrangements with MPM Country Office. Please contact DHL if you have any questions.

Please note the following commodity specific guidelines:

Chemicals, non-hazardous: Must be inspected prior to shipping

Foodstuffs: Customs must consider the amount to be reasonable for private use.

Industrial equipment: No more than 5 units of dry batteries, 100kg of cement, or 5 new tyres.

Stationery: Paper based goods must weigh less than 100kg.

Textile articles: Must be inspected prior to shipping. Second hand clothing only permitted up to 100.0 kg.

X-ray machines: Please contact the destination prior to shipment for any licenses or permit requirements.

Commodities considered as Documents

Mozambique Customs defines a document as general correspondence (business or private) as well as the listed items. The below items must be sent in small quantities, or duties as per the HS tariff codes and VAT (presently at 17%) will apply:

• Airline tickets, issued/validated ³
• Annual reports
• Artwork including drawings / proofs / layouts
• Blueprints ²
• Booklets, brochures (non-advertising)
• Business cards
• Calendars
• Cash letters (NI)
• Charts / graphs
• Cheques, cancelled (NI)
• Cheques, cashier (NI)
• Computer printouts
• Credit card blanks (NI)
• Credit cards (NI)
• Deeds
• Diaries
• Documents, general business
• Drawings and plans for technical / architectural / engineering purposes ²
• Invoices, not blank
• Manuscripts
• Money orders (NI)
• Music, printed or manuscript
• Newspapers ³
• Pamphlets
• Passports
• Personal mail
• Photographs ¹
• Photographs as part of business reports
• Price lists
• Price tickets for garments
• Publications not for public resale
• Shipping manifests – computer generated
• Shipping schedules
• Transparencies
• Visa applications

 

1. Max quantity: 24 photos
2. If items are contained in bids/proposals and in book form
3. Max quantity: 5 pieces

 

NI = A negotiable instrument is a document guaranteeing the payment of a specific amount of money, either on demand, or at a set time, with the payer named on the document

 

Prohibited items

The following items are specifically not allowed to be sent with DHL to Mozambique. This is in addition to DHL’s Globally standard list of prohibited items which can be found here.

• Airline tickets, blank stock (NI)
• Antiques
• Asbestos
• Dangerous goods, including hazardous or combustible materials
• Firearms, parts of
• Furs
• Jewellery
• Precious metals and stones

 

Size and Weight notes

The maximum weight per shipment is 300.0 kg (660.0 lb). The maximum weight per piece is 70.0 kg (154.0 lb). The maximum dimensions of each shipment are length: 120.0 cm (47.0 in); height: 120.0 cm (47.0 in); width: 100.0 cm (39.0 in). Pallets are accepted.

Please contact DHL with as much notice as possible if you are planning to send shipments exceeding limits, otherwise delays of 1-2 days can occur. Shipments going to remote may incur delays or restrictions due to aircraft capacity.